Record numbers in work as jobless rate dips to new low

Record numbers in work as jobless rate dips to new low

A RECORD number of people are in work and unemployment has fallen by another 60,000 to its lowest rate for a decade, new figures have shown.

The jobless total dipped to 1.69million in the final quarter of last year, a rate of 5.1 per cent, the lowest since the end of 2005. More than 31.4million people are in work, the highest since records began in 1971.

The number of people on the claimant count, including Jobseeker's Allowance, fell by 14,800 last month to 760,200, the lowest since the summer of 1975.

The data from the Office for National Statistics also showed a record 776,000 job vacancies across the economy after a 23,000 increase in the latest quarter.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: “February is another record breaking month.”

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